Enclosure 5.
C. O.
277
3595 Rack
Chairman Chamber of Commerce to Governor of Hongkong
DIT,
Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce,
Hong Kong 27th January 1884.
:
The Committee of this Chamber, and the Special Committee appointed last July to consider the Currency question, met today at noon, and I submitted to them the telegram from the Secretary of State which Your Excellency was good enough to communicate unofficially to me.
I am requested to inform you that both Committees are unanimous in repeating their recommendation with regard to the difficulties which are referred to by the Secretary of State are by any means capable of being overcome, and they are for the reasons mentioned in the Chamber's letter of the 24th instant, and for other good causes which need not here be mentioned, also unanimously opposed to the legalization of the Japanese Yen.
The Secretary of State does not mention to your Excellency what the difficulties are which stand in the way of coining British Dollar, but Your Excellency is aware that enquiries in Bombay made on behalf of this Chamber seemed to make it certain that British Dollar could be coined at 14 per cent or possibly less.
I have …
(Signed) J. J. Keswick,
Chairman.
His Excellency,
Sir William Robinson, K. C. M. G.